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If She Had Stayed

Diane Byington

Sometimes the past is better left alone.

Kaley Kline is thrilled to have landed a job as director of the new Tesla Museum in Colorado Springs. To make the museum successful, she searches for undiscovered works to display. When she finds an old safe that might have been Tesla’s, she’s shocked to find some diary pages supposedly written by the inventor himself.

Kaley initially thinks either that the journal is a fraud or Tesla was experiencing a nervous breakdown when he wrote it. However, if his experiments were real, the world will never be the same. She decides to secretly build Tesla’s time machine and attempt to go back into her own life to change a decision she has always regretted.

She prepares for a trip to the past, not knowing whether she will electrocute herself or travel back to the Boulder of her sophomore year in college. But an old boyfriend might have hidden some secrets from her—secrets that could have her fighting for her life.

Nowhere Near Goodbye

Barbara Conrey

A mother’s love vs. a doctor’s oath.

Oncologist Emma Blake has dedicated her life to finding a cure for a rare brain cancer. Twenty-five years ago, Emma’s childhood friend Kate died of glioblastoma, and Emma vowed to annihilate the deadly disease. Now, Kate’s father, Ned, is pushing her to work harder to fulfill that promise.

When Emma discovers she’s pregnant, she’s torn between the needs of her family and the demands of her work. While Ned pressures her to do the unthinkable, her husband, Tim, decorates the nursery. Unwilling to abandon her research, Emma attempts to keep both sides of her life in balance.

Emma knows she needs to reconcile her past with her present and walk the fine line between mother and physician. But Ned has a secret, and when Emma discovers what he’s been hiding, the foundation of her world cracks.

Nowhere Near Goodbye is a story of family, failure, and second chances.

The Umbrella Men

Keith Carter

Razor-sharp wit meets the stark reality of our era in The Umbrella Men, a novel that cuts through the noise to expose corporate greed, the hubris of bankers, contradictions of the clean energy economy and their unintended consequences on everyday people.

Meet Peter Mount, the tenacious self-made CEO of a London-based rare-earth mining empire, whose marriage and family fortunes are rocked by the bankruptcy of Royal Bank of Scotland and the repercussions of his own decisions.

Across the Atlantic in Oregon, Amy Tate and her league of local environmental crusaders unwittingly set off a chain reaction that threatens the green economy. How were they to know that their actions would be turbocharged by global powers, particularly the mighty hand of China? As the ripples reach the epicenters of power in New York and London, the fallout is nothing short of cataclysmic.

The Umbrella Men is a clever and gripping story of ambition, capitalism, and the unpredictable aftermath of our choices.

The Book of Perilous Dishes

Mâţa Vinerii

Historical fiction meets fantasy in The Book of Perilous Dishes, a playful tale of dark magic and epic adventure that traverses Europe at the turn of the 18th century.

Bucharest. 1798.

A year full of intrigue and political machinations.

Master chef Silica reigns supreme, sought after by all. His cooking is sublime, satisfying even the sophisticated tastes of the Greek Prince, who steals him from his rightful owner and installs him in his Palace. Little does anyone know that Silica guards the magical Book of Perilous Dishes, filled with recipes with the power to brew potent elixirs of truth, shroud minds in forgetfulness, unveil the future with eerie precision, and provoke bouts of uncontrollable laughter.

When 14-year-old Pâtca, steeped in the occult arts, embarks on a mission to recover her family's recipe book, she discovers her uncle murdered and a map that needs deciphering. As she embarks on an adventure across Romania, France, and Germany, her journey unveils family secrets that unearth history, weave magic, and unite destinies.

Runaway

Claire MacLeary

When Aberdeen housewife Debbie Milne abruptly vanishes, her husband is frantic with worry and turns to local PIs Maggie Laird and ‘Big Wilma’ Harcus.

Maggie is reluctant to take on a ‘misper’ case, but Wilma cajoles her into a covert operation – trawling women’s refuges and homeless squats in search of a lead. But when a woman’s body is discovered in a skip, the unlikely investigators are dragged into a deeper mystery involving people-trafficking, gambling and prostitution – and they’re in deadly danger.

With the police struggling to make headway and the clock ticking, the race is on for Harcus & Laird to find answers, further straining their already fraying relationship.

With Runaway, Claire MacLeary delivers the goods again – creating a surprising, gritty, fast-paced tale with the warmth and wit of ‘women of a certain age’.

The Sport of Matchmaking

For once, he has met a lady less inclined to marry than he is. How unfortunate that she is the only bride he will consider.

George Clavering is much too young to think about getting married. Yes, his older brother—and even his younger sister—have managed to tie the knot, but he has plenty more years of play and sporting events ahead of him before he need consider such a thing. Even matchmaking becomes a sport when gentlemen bet on the Season’s successes or failures in the club. He will not give them an opportunity to bet on him. Furthermore, why settle down when there are young women like Lady Alice who liven the sport of matchmaking with friendly wagers?

Lady Alice St. Clair is the fifth daughter of the Duke of Carr, and as she is independently wealthy and may do as she pleases, she has no reason to wed. She certainly has no intention of doing so. If the marriage mart offers nothing more than the unattractive boors who have presented themselves at her door for the past five seasons, it should hardly surprise her parents she cannot be persuaded to the altar. True, George Clavering has a full head of dark hair and a smile that is as mischievous as it is attractive, but no lady of character would change her mind for one above-average specimen of the male race.

For both, what began as a friendly bet between two bored guests at a ball turned into an earnest desire to help their protégés find happiness. And if some deeper feelings should stir in George to win Alice’s heart, then he has no choice but to dampen them. After all, Lady Alice has sworn she will not marry, and George has applauded her decision. For him to try to weaken her resolve now would be…unsportsmanlike.

Philippa Holds Court

Jennie Goutet

She’s capable of many things—including driving him mad.

At the start of their London Season, Philippa Clavering discovers her friend Susan is being pursued by the wrong gentleman and decides to turn Susan’s head to a worthier suitor. Not one to shrink from what she views as her duty and gift, Philippa sets plans in motion to bring about the happy ending her friend deserves. What she does not expect is to have Susan’s older brother watching—and criticizing—her every move.

After a respectable number of years on the town, Jack Blythefield is at last contemplating the idea of settling down. What he seeks is a compliant wife to provide him an heir or two and make his home comfortable while he spends his evenings at the club, where a man can get some peace. What he does not need is a termagant who sets his life on end with madcap schemes which invariably involve his unwilling assistance.

However, when the reputation of Jack’s family is threatened, Philippa is the one he turns to. And as her most determined suitor grows assured of his conquest, Jack must decide if a comfortable and docile wife is truly what he seeks or if he should throw down the gauntlet of his heart before Philippa closes court.

A Fall from Grace

Jennie Goutet

She needs a champion. He needs one less person to worry about.

Selena Lockhart comes with neither dowry nor connections, and she knows better than to expect Society to give her a welcome—especially after her father gambled away his fortune, precipitating the family’s sudden fall from grace and Selena’s betrothed to break off their engagement. It therefore comes as no surprise that her new neighbor, Sir Lucius, treats her with disdain. Why should he look beyond appearances when her own promises so little?

Sir Lucius Clavering is not married, but he may as well be, considering he is expected to escort his widowed mother to watering holes, round out the numbers at his married sister’s dinners, and come to the aid of his scapegrace younger siblings. It doesn’t help that single women and matchmaking mamas jostle each other to claim his face, fortune, and title so that he’s left without a moment’s peace.

When Selena shows up at Lucius’s doorstep looking for help, he is sure it’s another ploy aimed at cutting up his prized bachelor existence. Although his prejudice does not last long, Lucius fears his first reaction might have ruined his chances with her. How can he save her from Society’s teeth when she continues to hold him at arm’s length?

Trees for the Absentees

Ahlam Bsharat

Translated from Arabic, Trees for the Absentees is a relatable coming-of-age tale of young love, meddling relatives, and heart-to-heart connections.

Philistia is an ordinary university student with an extraordinary life. She has no idea when her father will be released from prison, and works part-time washing women's bodies in the ancient Ottoman hammam in Nablus. A midwife and corpse washer in her time, Philistia can't help but reminisce about her late Grandma Zahia, who taught her the ritual ablutions and the secrets of life and death.

In the enthralling darkness of the hamman in occupied Palestine, Philistia falls in love and embarks on a magical journey through her country's history, one of loss and centuries of oppression. As trees are uprooted around her, Philistia searches for a place of refuge, a place where she can plant a memory for the ones she's lost.

Cows Can’t Jump

Philip Bowne

A romantic comedy of errors about breaking out, following your dreams, and finding a sense of purpose.

How far would you go for love?

18-year-old Billy Reed has few qualifications but is desperate to leave home. He's working a dead-end job as a gravedigger, his parent's marriage is falling apart, his Grandad's engaged to a woman half his age, and he's never been kissed. But when Billy meets Eva, an older, mysterious girl from Switzerland, things start to change.

Eva is all that Billy isn't: she's passionate about Russian literature, Gary Numan, windfarms and chai tea, and always ready for adventure. She makes Billy want to break out of his comfort zone and live his life to the fullest. But when Eva returns to Switzerland, Billy is heartbroken. He gambles everything for a chance to be with her: scrambling across Europe, hitchhiking with truckers, walking with refugees, and encountering suicidal cows. But the further he goes, the harder it is to be sure what he's chasing—and what he's running from.

Sylvia

Maithreyi Karnoor

Longing to connect to his ancestral roots, Cajetan Pereira has taken up residence near one of the rare and mystical Baobab trees in South India. Into his world walks Sylvia, a young woman in search of a story. They bond over their new-found relationship, until one day consumed by regret, Sylvia disappears.

In a rich kaleidoscope of tales, Sylvia is glimpsed in the lives of other characters as a colleague, friend, wife and lover, until she comes back into focus as she finds herself becoming whole once more – but is it too late?

Brimming with exquisite prose, Sylvia is a beautifully woven tapestry of the ways in which we leave indelible imprints on each other’s lives.

No Funeral for Nazia

Taha Kehar

Nazia Sami is a celebrated author, but perhaps her greatest plot twist is yet to be produced. In her final days, she wields a pen one last time as she fills her diary with instructions for her sister, Naureen, and writes six letters to be delivered after her death.

There is to be no funeral for Nazia. Instead, only six invitees are asked to attend a party, one of whom is a mystery guest. Over the course of an extraordinary evening, secrets are revealed, pasts reconsidered, and lives are forever changed.

Perfect for fans of MOHSIN HAMID and KAMILA SHAMSIE, No Funeral for Nazia is a striking and inventive exploration of what death can mean for both the deceased and those left behind.